Animal Rescue Update: June Sea Turtle Release

Four sea turtles rehabilitated at the National Aquarium were released in Ocean City, Maryland, earlier this week!

Published June 27, 2018

Joined by a crowd of almost 400 onlookers, one loggerhead sea turtle—nicknamed Canuck—and three Kemp’s ridley sea turtles rehabilitated at the National Aquarium made their way back into the ocean on Monday at 40th Street in Ocean City, Maryland.

National Aquarium Animal Rescue was also joined by members from Sea Turtle Recovery in New Jersey, who released three Kemp’s ridley sea turtles.

Canuck was rescued by the Virginia Aquarium in September 2017 and he was transferred to the National Aquarium in November for long-term rehabilitation. He was our most critical patient at the time and underwent extensive diagnostics to help our team treat his digestive issues. A more hands-off approach proved to greatly improve his diet and energy level, then he was moved to a larger rehabilitation pool, where he gained weight and muscle mass.

The three Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in the Aquarium’s care were originally rescued and rehabilitated by the National Marine Life Center in Massachusetts. The turtles stranded as cold-stunned turtles along the Massachusetts coast and have been in rehabilitation since late 2017. They were transferred to the National Aquarium in April for continued rehabilitation.

The 2017-2018 season has kept our Animal Rescue team busy; Monday’s release was the fourth turtle release since January! The first release of the season took place at Cape Canaveral, Florida, where our Animal Rescue team released 18 sea turtles. At the same location in February, the team released 34 sea turtles. In April, we celebrated our biggest release ever of 36 sea turtles at Little Talbot Island State Park in Florida!

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For the first time in its history, National Aquarium Animal Rescue simultaneously released two rehabilitated seals. The two male greys, nicknamed Edwin Hubble and George Washington Carver, were released in Ocean City, Maryland, on May 23.